Shattered Promises 3a: Starting Over
by JulieM
Summary: Continues from SP2: Picking Up The Pieces. Rated T for themes of violence. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Shattered Promises 3a: Starting Over

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this series, which is being done solely for recreational purposes. JAG and all of its characters are the property of Don P. Bellisario et al.

No profit is being made from this series.

I'd really appreciate any feedback you wish to give me!

Author's note: This piece is part of a series that consists of twelve parts;

Things Fall Apart.

2. Picking Up The Pieces.

3(a & b.) Starting Over.

4. Getting It Right.

5. Getting To Know You.

6. Happy Endings.

7. Sleepless Night

8. See You In My Dreams.

9. Scattered Photographs.

10. Dreams Really Do Come True.

11. Celebrations.

12. Turning Full Circle.

Classifictaion: Adventure, angst, tiny bit of UST (Planning on some Harm/Mac shipperiness, later on in the series.)

Summary: This part of the series takes place in the year following Cathy's placement in her Uncle Jim's home. During this year, everything from Goodbyes' up until Body Talk' takes place.

OOOO

Ch. 1

As Captain Andrew Lundt swept through the crime scene, he was

approached by one of his deputies, who had just descended the

stairs.

"Sir I just found in the victims room, I thought it might shed a bit

of light on the perpetrators motive."

"We know his motive Carl, he was drunk up to his eyeballs.

Still, I think that the Colonel might want to see this, once she gets

here."

OOOO

Later that day...

1925 Zulu

Bethesda Naval Hospital,

Maryland.

Mac sat in the Hospital waiting room. It had been four hours

since she had arrived here and her head was still swimming from what

little she had been told. How on earth had she not seen

this coming? She had, after all, come from an abusive

household herself, but she had somehow missed all of the signs, all of

the little indicators that should have suggested that something was

very wrong, and set off the little warning bells in her

head.

As she leaned forward and put her head in her hands, she

uttered a silent prayer that Harm would be there soon.

She then sat up and began to thumb through the little purple diary

that sat in her lap, searching for any indication as to when

this had all started.

OOOO

The previous year...

Dear Diary,

I don't want to be here, I want to be back home with Harm and

Mac. If I were still there, we would go out and see a movie or go to

McMurphy's, like we always used to do on a Friday night. Harm and

Mac promised to call me last Monday night, but they never did. I got this strange feeling that something be wrong, so I called AJ Chegwidden. He said that they had been called to go out of town on an urgent case, but said that he'd get them to call me once they got back home. I hope they do call soon. Anyway, at least I get to start school again on Monday. Then at least I won't be stuck in The House anymore.

OOOO

The Following Week...

0530 Zulu

Davidson Residence

Catriona quietly shut the front door behind her as she slung

Her backpack over her shoulder. As she made her way down the

deserted dirt road, she made a mental checklist in her mind,

making sure she had done all she needed to and had all that she

needed with her. The sun had not risen yet, but the glow on

the horizon indicated that it would not be long before it did so.

Catriona actually adored these early morning walks to school,

because it meant that she could get away from the chaos of The

House. She always looked forward to the beginning of the next

school week, because it meant that she could escape into a

normal life, if only for the rest of the day.

Just then, Catriona was struck by the suspicion that she had

left her diary behind in her bedroom. She began to panic as

she remembered that there was no lock on her door, so anyone was

able to wander in and out as they pleased.

"God help me if Jim finds that diary and reads it," Cathy

thought to herself, "but what if he finds something in my room

that he doesn't like? Let's see, all of the few things that I

have should all be in order and out of his way, my dirty

laundry is in the washer."

Everything else seemed to be done, apart from the AWOL diary;

she had even left a note to remind Jim that she would be home

late after softball practice. Goodness knows that she didn't

want a repeat of last week's performance, with Jim showing up on the

practice field and dragging her off and bundling her into

the truck. She had only just gotten over that episode, in terms of

embarrassment, hurt pride and otherwise. She couldn't risk

Jim finding and reading that diary, she would have to check her bag

again and go back for it if it was not there. Even the risk of an

after school detention for tardiness was a dream in

comparison to Uncle Jim's punishments. Swinging her bag off

her shoulder, she rifled through her bag packed with textbooks and

let out a huge sigh of relief as she found the small purple ring-bound

diary at the very bottom. Today would be a good day.

Free from worry for the time being, she set off once more to

walk the remaining two hours to school.

OOOOOOO


	2. Chapter 2

OOOOOOO

See part 1 for disclaimer...

Ch. 2

OOOO

April 22nd, 2000

Dear diary,

They're shouting again and this time it's really bad.

Last time, I had just gotten home from school to find that all

that remained of my room were scattered remnants of an

explosive blowout. The snow globe that my Mom bought me for my first

day home lay shattered on the floor, obviously after coming into

contact with the bedroom wall. For minute or so I allowed

myself to indulge in the weakness of tears, but soon got up to

clean the huge mess. In my experience, it's better to pretend

that nothing has happened. And I knew that if Jim came home and found

this mess, I'd have had hell to pay.

But now they're downstairs and all that stands between them and me is

a thin door with a tiny deadbolt on it, which Linda

managed to persuade Jim into putting on last night. I want Harm and

Mac to be here with me now, to tell me that everything's

going to be all right, because even when things were at their

worst, they were always there to catch me when I fell. But now

they're not here to help me and I'm scared, scared and alone.

As the noise dulled, Catriona cautiously opened her door an inch and

peered out. Jim and Linda were still arguing in the

hallway, but at least now they were keeping their voices below

the ten-decibel level. They were talking ten to the dozen and

Catriona couldn't catch what they were talking about, but it

was obvious that both of them had been drinking. Cathy quickly

assessed the situation as very bad when, as Linda turned towards the

light, she saw that the woman was crying. This was

definitely a very bad sign. Linda never cried. Then Linda

disappeared from view, taking sanctuary in the living room.

This was common tactic she used, if she wanted to diffuse the

building tension, which often resulted in an all out fistfight

or a china throwing match. However, Cathy noticed, Linda stayed in

the living room but a minute, then returned to the hallway,

holding a sight that chilled Catriona to the bone.

"Suitcases? No, no, this can't be happening!" Cathy thought to

herself.

"No, please don't leave me here with him!" Cathy pleaded

silently, emphatically shaking her head.

If someone had thrust a knife through her heart, Cathy would nothave

known any different. Without another thought, Linda

picked up her suitcases and walked out into the darkness,

kicking the door shut with her foot. Jim did not attempt to

stop her, but just stood silently in the hall, staring

unseeingly at the door. After a moment or two, he turned

around, shooting Cathy a look of such loathing, such hatred,

that Cathy thought that her legs might collapse underneath her.

"Get in your room, now!" he spat at her.

Back in her room, Cathy couldn't have explained what had

possessed her to do what she did, but something within her

screamed at her, "Get out of here!" Cathy simply knew that she must

do what her intuition told her to. She must get out of

here. Without a second of hesitation, she threw her bedroom

window open and climbed out, perching on the narrow ledge.

Locking her eyes on the nearest branch of the tree opposite her,she

lunged out, focussing on nothing else but the branch. She

knew that she was far from the ground, but she did not let any

shadow of doubt into her mind. However, luck was not on her

side and the tree limb was slick with ice, easily escaping from her

grip and sending her plummeting to the ground below.

Stunned, but extremely wound up with adrenaline, Cathy quickly

picked herself up and ignoring the pain in her ribs ran towards

Linda's car. The car was now on the road and picking up speed

and Catriona knew that her whole life might depend on her makingthis

escape. However, Linda began to speed up more and Cathy

realized that, at this rate, she would not be able to make it tothe

car.

"No Linda, No! Please don't leave me! Please!" she screamed

with all her might, at the car. Linda, however, made no attemptto

stop or even to slow down. Cathy continued to run, chanting the same

mantra over and over again in her mind;

"Please don't leave me, please don't leave me!"

Her arms and legs pumped, propelling her faster and faster,

until Cathy thought that she just might make it to the car

door.However, at that moment, she hit a patch of ice, which slid

her legs out from under her and her head impacted hard with the solid

ground. The lights of the fast retreating car dulled, as the

comforting darkness enveloped her.

When Cathy came to, she was lying on the kitchen floor, her

aching ribs and pounding head making her feel so queasy, she

thought that she might throw up then and there. Once she had

gotten her senses back, she cautiously turned her head to the

side, to see that Jim was standing at the kitchen counter,

drinking bourbon straight out of the bottle. The floor around

Catriona was littered with empty beer cans, which made a sudden noise

as Catriona attempted to sit up. Jim's gaze snapped

around to her and Catriona saw the look of a madman in his eyes.He

reflexively reached over and grabbed a knife from the knife

rack. Cathy tried valiantly tried to get up, but the blow to

her head had disoriented her and Jim pounced on her within

seconds, pinning her on her back, the knife poised above her.

Without her any hesitation, he thrust the knife down towards her head.

OOOOOOO


	3. Chapter 3

OOOOOOO

See Ch 1 for disclaimer...

Ch. 3

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Cathy surveyed the

damage that had been inflicted upon her. She still had the hugebump

on the back of her head, which had not gone any. Her ribs still

ached with each breath she took and Cathy prognosed that

they were probably bruised or cracked. Her hair now hung at

various lengths above and below her shoulders and she saw that

there was no possible way to salvage the long curly strands thatshe

had once been so proud of. Taking the pair of scissors

that she had managed to pocket from the medicine cabinet, Cathy set

about cutting her hair so that it was all one length.

OOOO

April 25th 2000

Dear diary,

The drinking is getting worse and worse and now I have no way

ofescaping. All his attention is focused at me and there is no

way I could get out of the window with the state that my ribs

are in. Now I'm almost beyond caring. At least if he hits me

it will overshadow the pain that I feel in my heart. The pain Ifeel

every time Mac calls me and I have to pretend to her like

nothing is happening. It's not like I don't want to tell her. Like

when she called me yesterday and I had gotten myself ready beforehand

to tell her the truth. However, when she actually

called, it was very different. The entire time, Jim stood over me so

I would watch what I would said to her. Writing to her isout of the

question as well, because the postmaster is a friend of Jim's, one of

his drinking buddies. I've got no one who can help me, because every

single person in this town is someone Jimknows, even the teachers at

my school. Before I at least had Linda who would fight for me. Now I have nobody.

OOOO

When Cathy got home from school one day, not too long later, she knew

something was wrong when she saw Jim's pickup truck in the driveway.

"He shouldn't be home from work yet," she thought to herself.

As she walked into the house, she surveyed the broken furniture and

smashed crockery. Jim sat at the kitchen table, the table

and chair the only ones in the house left intact. As he spoke

to her, she noted from the nature of his voice that he was

probably just coming down from a major alcohol high.

"You got any money?" he asked her.

"A few dollars, I think."

"Give it to me."

When Cathy didn't immediately respond, Jim got up and lunged

towards her, striking her across the face, sending her smashing into

the tile counter top. As she fell to the floor and tried

to recover her senses, Jim grabbed her rucksack, emptying the

contents onto the floor. He grabbed her wallet and emptied it

of dollar bills and even loose change. He stalked out of the

house, then Cathy picked herself up and took stock of herself. She

was bleeding at the mouth and one of her front teeth had

been knocked loose in its socket. She stood in front of the

bathroom mirror and pushed the tooth, hard, back into the tooth bed.

Despite the severe pain, she held it there, not wanting tolose one of

her teeth that was so apparent. If anyone noticed it and started asking

questions, she would bare the brunt of Uncle Jim's anger. Then she

set about clearing up the debris from Jim's tirade. If Jim was asking

her for money for his booze, Cathy realized, then that he had lost his job.

This also meant that he would be around the house a lot more from now on.

From now on, he would be looking to her for money. Cathy

figured that from now on she would not be able to keep an awful lot

of money in the house, for as she knew well, nothing in The House was

safe from Uncle Jim.

OOOOOOO


	4. Chapter 4

OOOOOOO

See Ch 1 for disclaimer

Ch. 4

August 5th 2000

Dear diary,

He hit me again yesterday. The last time he hit me, I swore

that I'd never let him do it again, but as usual, there isn't a whole

lot that I can do about it. Jim's lost his fourth job in less than

three months, so he's always looking through my room for money. So

far, he hasn't discovered the cash I hide underneath the loose floorboards,

which I got for doing odd jobs in town. It won't be long before he does

though, so I'll have to find somewhere else to hide it. I was thinking of asking

Coach Manning if he would keep it for me, because I know that I can

trust him. He's about the only person in the whole town who doesn't

have ties to Jim. He arrived in town a few months ago

to take over the teaching position of the old softball coach

whore tired. All I need to do now is think up a plausible excuse

so he doesn't get suspicious. I've got to do that before I see him

at practice next Tuesday.

OOOO

The following Tuesday...

As Catriona walked onto the practice field she saw Coach

Manningwatching her from the stands.

"Nice to see you back, Cathy. Long time no see."

"Thanks coach," she replied, "Its good to be back."

"You mind telling me where you've been this past week?"

"Sorry coach. Jim wanted me to ease up on the sports for a bit. He

thinks that my grades are beginning to slip."

"And are they?" The coach asked

"No, not really," Cathy told him, "Like I told him, my grades

are up in two subjects. I only got a b+ in history, but this

semester it's a lot harder and the whole year-group has gone down in

their grades. I'm working a lot harder, though, so I'm

hoping my grades will go up again, by the end of the semester."

"Yeah well, next time, you ask him to come talk to me. I'm sure I

could have persuaded him."

"It's okay," Cathy insisted, "I managed to talk him round."

OOOO

Rick Manning sat watching Cathy from the side bench as she

practiced batting. He knew that she was a hard worker, even if she

was a bit sporadic in her school attendance. He made a

note to himself to have a talk to Jim Davidson, the next time hesaw

him in town. He got the impression that he was working

Catriona a bit too hard.

OOOO

After practice, Catriona stayed behind in the shower room long

after everyone else had left, trying to get up the courage to

approach Coach Manning. Finally, she scolded herself for being such

a coward and went out to where the coach was sorting out

some paperwork in his office. Knocking softly on the open door,she

waited until the coach gestured to her to come in.

"Hey Cathy," he said to her, "You had a good day out there

today. What can I do for you?"

Taking a deep breath, Cathy just came straight to the point.

"Hi Coach, I was just wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" He questioned, "I'll do my best to help."

"I was wondering if you would mind holding onto a couple of

things for me, for a short while Jim's going to have a couple ofold

friends coming into town soon and their kids are kinda

light fingered...I'll understand if you can't."

Rick looked at the shoebox decorated with crazy glitter and

sequins, then looked back at Cathy.

"Sure that would be no problem, but are you sure you want me to keep

it for you and not, maybe...one of your..."

"Friends?" Cathy finished off for him, with a snort of laughter,"I'm sure you've noticed that

I don't really have any of those...not close friends, anyway. I guess I don't mix well with

people my age. I never really grew up with other kids."

At Rick's puzzled look, Cathy quickly finished off, "I was an

only child. Anyway, I just want to know that those things are

somewhere safe. There's no lock on my door and the things in

there are kind of irreplaceable. Some of the last things my Mom and

Dad gave me are in there."

"Sure, no problem," the coach told her, "I'll keep them as safe

as scones."

"Thanks coach," Cathy told him gratefully.

As Cathy wandered back into the shower room to get her bag, she

wandered into the middle of a conversation between the members

of the cheerleading squad, who had finished practice and were

now in the showers.

"...Yeah, I've seen her a couple of times in dance club,

she's really quite a freak. She doesn't talk to anyone and you

should see the way she dresses. She lives in the old wreck of ahouse

outside town with her Uncle..."

Cathy cringed as she grabbed her bag and quickly headed to grab some

books out of her locker, so she could get out of there

before she heard anything that would really bother her. She was too

late.

"I heard that her parents are dead," one girl spoke up, "I

wonder if she took a knife to them or they just slit their own

throats to get away from her. That really wouldn't surprise

me, having a freak like that for a daughter and all..."

Cathy gathered her shattered pride up from the floor and walked out

as fast as she could. Outside she wiped away the stray

tears from her cheeks and steeled herself on, thinking to

herself,

"God, I hate those airhead cheerleaders. And their damn pompoms

too."

OOOO

As Rick cleared up the storeroom, later that evening, he saw

that Cathy had left her softball bat behind, yet again.

Sighing, he put it in the trunk of his car, intending to return it to

her in school the next day.

OOOO

As Cathy returned to The House after school, one day, she

noticed a stack of mail on the kitchen counter top, but she knewwell

enough not to touch it. Jim walked in behind her, making

her jump and reflexively stiffen.

"Looks like your little friends are writing to you again," he

slurred, "They just don't give up, do they, these military

types. Still, how much did the damn military do for your

parents, for your entire family?"

Jim proceeded to read one of the letters from the pile, one from Mac,

taunting Cathy as she stood, only half listening. She

stood stock still, waiting for the inevitable slap that would

come.

"Maybe," she thought to herself," if Mac is thinking about

coming to see me, then that would bemy best chance of getting out

of there."

But would Jim let her leave? And did she dare tomake that

escape?

Just then, Cathy was caught off guard by a hard slap to her

face, knocking her into the kitchen island. As a nonstop stream of

punches rocked her, she took solitude in the fact that Mac

was coming to see her soon.

OOOOOOO


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry I haven't been posting this past week, but I've been

out of town. I'll make it up to you all by updating again, later

tonight and then again twice tomorrow.

My other story, 'Homeward Bound' is currently undergoing some

tweaking, I'll get that out as soon as I'm done with it. Thanks so much

for your patience...Jules

OOOO

Ch. 5

Dear diary,

This is the chance I've been waiting for. Mac is going to come up

and visit in a few weeks time. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get a

note to her, but I won't really be able to tell her anything in the note

and I won't be able to put her name on it, in case the postmaster gets

suspicious and reads it. No doubt Jim is still telling him lies about what

a 'problem child' I am. The last thing I heard was that he was telling him

that I kept trying to run away. I know better than that, because Jim would

just send the town's sheriff after me. There is no way that I'd get very far.

And Jim knows which way I'd head; straight for D.C. In case any word gets

back to Jim, I'll just put Linda's name on it and make up some excuse, if he asks about it.

OOOO

A couple of days later...

As Mac sorted through her mail, the name on one of the

envelopes jumped out at her.

"Linda Jamison? What on earth?"

The address was hers, but the name wasn't, perhaps it was a

mistake. She recognized the handwriting as Catriona's and

thought that it would probably be okay for her to open it. If

it wasn't meant for her, she'd simply send it back, no harm

done. Cathy had probably just written the envelope out wrong.

Opening the letter, she realized it was indeed meant for her.

Dear Mac,

I'm sorry, but school hasn't given me much of a chance to get

back to you. I can't wait for you to come up here. I wish Harm was

coming with you, but hopefully he'll manage to get up here

later in the week. You'll have to tell me how your trip to

Australia went and about that new guy in your life! Mic is it?

The only trouble is, I think you might have a bit of difficulty

finding Jim's house, because it's a bit far off the beaten

track. Why don't we meet up at my school? It's in the middle

of town, right near the guest house you're staying in, so it'll be

more convenient for you. On that Tuesday, I'll have a

softball game (students vs. teachers!) so you'll be able to find me on

the practice field at the front of the school from about

six thirty. I can't wait to see you again, I'm counting down the days,

hours, minutes and seconds!

Miss you more than words can say!

lots of love, Cathy XXX

OOOO

At dinner that night, Jim brought up the subject of the letter

Cathy had sent from the post office.

"Bill tells me that you sent a letter to Linda in the post

office today."

"Yeah," Cathy quickly explained, "I just wanted to find out how her

Mother was doing. Linda said she hadn't been doing too well after

that last stroke..."

"Listen to me, I don't want you blabbering your mouth off to

her! She walked out on the both of us, washed her hands of us. She

made her choices, now she'll have to live with them, Mother or no

Mother."

"Mmm... Besides," Cathy continued, feigning indifference, "I

don't think I wrote her Mom's address on right, she probably

won't get it."

"Huh! You always have been good for nothing!" Jim criticized

"Because of you, your whole family is dead! And now I'm

burdened with you. It's the biggest mistake I made in my whole life!"

Cathy just blocked his words out while she emptied and cleaned off

her plate, drying it and stacking it in the kitchen cupboard.

After she was done, she retreated to the solitude of her room.

"And don't get any big ideas about talking to your precious

Marine. She won't want you either," Jim shouted after her.

OOOO

The next couple of weeks passed slowly for Cathy, but finally,

Tuesday the 20th of March rolled around.

The softball game went well for the students, who were by far

beating the teacher's team. The stands were packed with enthusiastic parents,

teachers and siblings, so Cathy didn't see Mac as she pulled up in

the school parking lot. Due to the obvious victory of the

students over the teachers, it was agreed that they would go

through the batting order once more, with the teacher's team

fielding, before calling it a day.

Mac took a seat at one end of the spectator stands, watching as Catriona got

ready to bat. Mac noted how happy she looked as she talked to her teammates

and good-naturedly ribbed the teachers on the opposite team.

Cathy didn't spot Mac until she finally got up to bat, then

waved at her. Mac blew her a good luck kiss and Cathy laughed

as she mimed catching it and sticking it onto her bat.

After striking out on her first pitch, Cathy decided to give up trying so hard

and just to go for it, trusting her gut instinct. She tried to block out the players

on every one of the loaded bases, the pitcher, the fielders, even the chattering

crowd to her right. All that existed was herself and the ball, just as in she was in the

batting cage, practicing her swing. As the ball was pitched to her, time seemed to

move in slow motion. The crowd was silent until Cathy's bat hit the ball squarely,

emitting an ominous 'CRACK.' The ball soared into orbit and everyone on and around

the field let out a deafening cheer, standing from where they were seated. Cathy hesitated

but a moment, dropping her bat and legging it to first base. As she rounded second, she

spotted, out of the corner of her eye, the ball fly over the fence and land far beyond the field.

Teammates, as well as a couple of teachers, were cheering her on as she

ran into home base.

After the game wound up, Cathy sat beside Mac, filling her in on all that she had been

doing in school. All seemed to fade away as they chattered away like old times, until

Mac asked how Uncle Jim was doing. Almost reluctantly, Mac noticed, Cathy told her

that he was doing fine.

Afterwards, the two of them went back to the guesthouse where

Mac was staying, for lunch and a celebratory ice cream. There, Mac

filled Cathy in on how everyone at JAG was doing, including Harm.

However, Cathy could tell from Mac's voice that there was something

she wasn't mentioning.

"Have things changed since Harm got back from flying?" Catriona asked

her.

"Yeah, perhaps a little bit," Mac replied, trying to play it

down in front of Catriona.

"You feel like he left you to go back to flying, don't you?"

From the look on Mac's face, Catriona knew that she had hit

the nail on the head.

"Is there nothing this girl doesn't pick up on?" Mac wondered

to herself.

Reading her thoughts, Cathy told Mac, "There's very little I

can't pick up. I can be very perceptive at times!"

This made Mac laugh out loud and Cathy laughed along with her. Cathy

eyed the ring on Mac's left hand with interest, but asked nothing.

She decided that she had put Mac through enough interrogation for one day.

She knew she should be getting home, but resisted Mac's offer to give her a ride.

"Nah, there's no point in you going out of your way."

However, Mac insisted, steering Cathy outside to where her car

was parked. Before they got to the car though, who should

approach them, but Uncle Jim.

"There you are, I was beginning to get worried about you," he

told Cathy.

"Sorry, we kind of lost track of time," Cathy apologized, as Jim put

an arm across her shoulders.

Mac smiled at the scene, but Cathy understood the more sinister

implications of the hand which was gripping her shoulder.

They bid Mac goodnight, then Jim drove them back to The House,

remaining unnervingly quiet throughout the journey. Country

music blasted eerily through the radio. Once they got back, Cathy dashed

from the vehicle and ran up to her room, locking the door behind her, with Jim

close on her heels. The night was spent with Cathy holding the door closed,

praying that the deadbolt wouldn't give way, as Jim hammered and screamed on the other side of it.

OOOO


	6. Chapter 6

OOOO

Ch 6

The next day was not a good day for Cathy, who woke up to find

Jim passed out, drunk outside her door. She wasn't on the ball in

her classes, having gotten almost no sleep the night before

and got into trouble in almost all of them. In Geometry, she

even let her crankiness get the better of her and she walked out on

the teacher after yelling back at him. By the end of school, she was

a nervous wreck, a fact that was exacerbated by coach

Manning, who had gotten firsthand accounts of the day's events

from her teachers. Relentlessly, he tried to get to what was

going on with Cathy, who was at a complete loss as to what to

tell him. Finally, his anger got the better of him and he gave

her a final ultimatum.

"Look Cathy, either you sort out what is going on with you or

you are off the team. And I mean every sports team. Softball,

soccer, gymnastics, the lot. I've already spoken to Mrs.

Tanner, who wants you out of the dance club. Your teachers will not

put up with this kind of behavior."

Unable to deal with any more, Catriona simply walked off,

leaving the coach standing in the middle of the playing field.

OOOO

A little while later, Mac scanned the playing field, searching

for Cathy. Recognizing her from the day before, Rick

introduced himself to her and told her about his concern for

Catriona. Mac could hardly believe that he was talking about the same

kid, Cathy had seemed fine the day before. They talked through what could possibly be causing her behavior, going over her extensive, rather troubling history.

"I just thought that she had moved past all that," Mac told

Rick, "her social worker told me she was doing so well."

"Is there any way I can get hold of this social worker? Perhaps he

might be able to give us some insight on all this," Rick

asked her.

"Chris has been out of town for the last week, I think she's

getting back to D.C. next Friday," she supplied.

As it began to rain, they broke the meeting up, promising to

contact each other if they learnt anything significant. Mac

climbed into her car and decided to confront Cathy once and for all,

at the house, where she would have Jim to help her find out what was

going on.

OOOO

Mac was now about a mile away from the house and the rain had

still not let up. Mac was caught up in her thoughts when she

saw Cathy walking along the side of the road, obviously on her

way home and completely drenched from the rain. As Mac pulled

up next to her, Cathy never looked up, but just continued

striding purposefully down the road.

"Cathy, just get in the car," Mac told her.

"No," Cathy insisted firmly, paying Mac no notice.

"Cathy, just tell me what is going on!"

"It's not your problem, you wouldn't understand."

"Then make me understand, why are you doing this?"

The remaining distance to The House was spent with Mac

beseeching Catriona to get into the car so that they could talk.

But Cathy steadfastly refused and when they got to the empty

front drive, Mac realised that Jim wasn't home. She got out of her

car as Cathy climbed the front steps and went to open the

front door.

"Catriona, talk to me!" Mac implored, in a last ditch effort,

"What in heaven's name is going on!"

Finally, Cathy turned round to Mac and answered in a tired and

defeated tone, "You know, Mac, I just can't do this anymore..."

She disappeared into The House, letting the door slam after her.

Mac, realising there was no more to find out there, got back

into the car and drove back to town. If Catriona wouldn't talk to

her, then she would find someone who she would talk to; Jim.

OOOO


	7. Chapter 7

OOOO

Ch 7

Jim Davidson sat at the wheel of his speeding pickup truck, madder than a rattler and fixed upon finding Cathy, to account for the trouble she had caused.

The closer to The House he got, the more uncontrollable his rage got. He'd make her pay, goodness knows he'd make her pay.

As Jim's car screeched to a halt in the driveway, Cathy snuck out the back with her duffle bag over one shoulder. She had to get out of there and she had to get far away.

The next day, a full police search was launched. As Mac tried, yet again, to get in touch with Harm, she left a message on his answering service, updating him on the situation.

After ruling out many other places near town, where Catriona might be hiding, Police Captain Lundt decided to call in all available back-up units to follow him to an abandoned railway yard, which was frequented by the town's kids. Hearing his plan, Mac insisted on going with him, finally having to threaten him with a lawsuit in order to convince him to do so.

OOOO

Cathy woke up in the freezing box car to the sound of police sirens in the distance. She quickly packed her sleeping bag back into her bag before opening the train car door to make a run for it. However, she found that police officers were already on the surrounding platforms, so she dropped her bag and proceeded to only way she could; Up.

As Mac pulled up to the train yard, she saw that police officers were already engaged in a fast paced pursuit with Catriona along the top of an old train car, at the far end of the yard. Running towards her, Mac watched as Cathy jumped from the top of the train to the support beams beneath an overhead bridge, climbing up onto the bridge and running down the stairs towards the platform. Cathy ran towards Mac, only to be tackled one hundred yards away by Captain Lundt, who jumped out from behind an old signal box. The other police officers descended on her, as she screamed with all her might for Mac. Captain Lundt restrained Mac as she struggled to get to Cathy.

"No, no! Let me through. I have to get to her, I have to talk to her."

Captain Lundt however, did not relent and insisted that Mac calm herself. Cathy was dragged, fighting all the way, to a waiting squad car. As she pleaded with Mac, Mac broke down, unable to hold the tears back.

"Mac, please! Please don't leave me, please don't let them take me back there! Mac, please, help me!" She was silenced as the squad car doors were slammed shut and the car drove off, leaving a hysterical Mac with Captain Lundt.

As Mac began to calm down, Captain Lundt explained how Cathy would be sedated, then returned to her Uncle's care.

"I hate to bring this up, Colonel MacKenzie, but did you consider the possibility that Cathy is acting up due to your visit?"

At this, Mac shot him a dirty look, but he continued, "Until You arrived, Cathy had managed to put all her life back into order. Her grades only started to drop recently and she had almost no problems in school."

Then, on a softer note, he began to reason, "Colonel, we have to do what is best for Cathy. I'm not talking about cutting yourself out of her life completely, simply returning to D.C. for a week or so, until Cathy has calmed down a bit. It is obvious that she needs serious, psychiatric help and once we've established her on a course of therapy and medical treatment, we can re-introduce your role in her life, under controlled circumstances."

In the end, the Captain had convinced Mac to give the whole situation some time and to return to D.C. Although she had not been keen on the idea at first, she now thought that this might be the best thing for Cathy, as she recalled Cathy's unapproachable mood the night before. What could she do by hanging around? So she drove back to D.C., confident that the authorities would do what was best for Cathy and keep her out of harm's way.

OOOO


	8. Chapter 8

OOOO

Ch 8

Cathy stood at her bedroom window, looking out to the street

below, searching for any sign of Mac. She thought back to when she

had returned to The House, when Uncle Jim had frog marched

her up to her room. To her dismay, the window had been nailed

firmly shut and a couple of bars had been fastened across the

front of it. On closer inspection, she saw that the lock had

been removed from her door.

"That's right. There's no way you'll ever leave this house

again. And don't expect your Marine to come for you. I expect that

right now, she'll be on her way home."

However Cathy refused to believe this, never doubting her trust in

Mac for a second. Catriona steeled herself the imminent

beating that would, without a doubt, take place.

Seeing her change in attitude, Jim told her, "Oh no, I'm not going to

punish you now. I'll leave it for a while, let you stew in the

tension. Then, when you're just beginning to get comfortable,

I'll come and knock you from one end of this room to the other."

On that ominous note, he left to continue his drinking vigil

downstairs.

OOOO

It had been hours since Cathy had taken up her watch at the

window, knowing that if Mac came to the house, she would be in

very real danger. Jim was bound to wake up at any time, so

Cathy could see that she had only one choice. She had to get to Mac

before Mac came to her. Catriona was by no means a religious young

girl, but she had no trouble realizing what danger she was now in and

she could see only one way to turn. Cathy sank to

her knees on the upstairs landing, desperately clutching

together her hands and beginning to utter one of the first

things she had been taught as a child. Even time could never

wipe it away, so deeply was it indented in her soul. It was a

psalm of David;

_The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not_

_be in want._

_He makes me lie down in green_

_pastures,_

_he leads me beside quiet waters,_

_he restores my soul._

_He guides me in paths of righteousness for_

_his name's sake._

_Even though I walk_

_through the valley of the shadow of_

_death,_

_I will fear no evil,_

_for you are with me;_

_you rod and your staff,_

_they comfort me._

_You prepare a table before me_

_in the presence of my enemies._

_You anoint my head with oil;_

_my cup overflows._

_Surely goodness and love will follow_

_me_

_all the days of my life,_

_and I will dwell in the house of the_

_LORD_

_for ever._

As Cathy crept down the stairs, she could see that the living

room table was cluttered with empty beer bottles. Rounding the

corner, she saw that Jim was, as she expected, passed out on

the couch. Cathy knew that all the doors to the outside of The

House were locked, so she would have to fish the keys out Jim's

pocket. However, as she climbed over the obstacle course of

empty beer bottles, she was shocked to see that her softball bat had

been propped up against the sofa.

"If he catches me doing this, he'll kill me with it," she told

herself, but nevertheless continued on. Just as she leaned over Jim's

huge frame, he shifted, causing the softball bat to tip,

sliding down against the side of the sofa, before catching on

the corner, narrowly avoiding toppling into a pile of cans and

bottles. Somehow, Catriona managed to get the keys from Jim's

shirt pocket, sneaking out of the room just before the first

strings of a hangover pulled him into semi-consciousness.

Catriona struggled to sort out the tens of small keys on the one large

key-ring, trying not to jingle them as she did so. She was just about

halfway through the bunch of keys when the bat

against the sofa must have given way, smashing into the bottles and

cans, waking Jim up. Catriona panicked and frantically

tried to find the right key, out of the bunch that were almost

all identical. In her haste, the keys jangled together,

alerting Jim.

The last thing Catriona was able to register was the

burly figure of Jim Davidson, as he stormed towards her like a madman,

softball bat in hand.

_Our Father, who art in heaven,_

_hallowed be thy name,_

_thy kingdom come,thy will be done_

_on earth as it is in heaven._

_Give us this day our daily bread,_

_and forgive us our trespasses, as we_

_forgive those who trespass against us._

_And lead us not into temptation,_

_but deliver us from evil._

_For thine is the kingdom, the power and_

_the glory, for ever and ever._

_Amen_

OOOO

In her car, Mac was suddenly hit by an intense pain in the side of

her head. Her car squealed to a halt, at the side of the

road and Mac tried to keep calm, despite the panic that was

rising into her throat. It was a good thing that the road was

deserted, or she might not have been so lucky as to avoid an

accident. She swallowed hard as she held her head in her hands. After

a couple of minutes of deep breathing, the pain began to

subside. But as it did so, Mac heard the steadily increasing

voice of Cathy. As time went by, the voice became weaker, until it

disappeared completely.

Mac gave a big sigh of relief, then exclaimed to herself,

"Stress," trying to convince herself that was what it was. The whole

thing seemed to have a familiar note to it, but Mac just disregarded

this thought and pulled out onto the road again.

OOOO Continued in part 3b OOOO


End file.
